All that jazz at Llangollen Eisteddfod

On Wednesday July 3 (6pm), the Trefor Owen Quartet plays the classic jazz of the Americas.

Living up to his belief that music should be both beautiful and communicative, guitarist Trefor Owen has long been inspired by the close harmony sounds of the legendary George Shearing Quintet, arranging the material for two guitars to great success in his band Shades Of Shearing.

His love of Brazilian Bossa Nova led to him recording his celebrated album Wales Plays Brazil, which featured renowned saxophonist Dave O'Higgins and Latin percussion specialist Dave Hassell.

With Classic Jazz Of The Americas, Trefor has selected some of his favourite material from both outfits, keeping the two guitar front line and playing some well-chosen standards including swing, ballads and Brazilian classics by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Luiz Bonfa, not to mention one or two of his own lyrical compositions.

Wales' premiere guitarist, internationally renowned Trefor Owen has toured the UK with such guitar greats as the USA's Mundell Lowe and Ireland's Louis Stewart, and has performed extensively in the USA, appearing in San Francisco and LA, at New York's Classic American Guitar Show, and the prestigious Jazz Cafe at the famous Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC.

For eight years, between 2000 and 2008, he led a team of international guitarists performing and tutoring at the North Wales International Jazz Guitar Festival and summer school, the biggest jazz guitar event in the world, and has since been resident tutor at each of the highly renowned bi-annual jazz guitar weekends presented by North Wales Jazz.

Also on guitar, Andy Hulme has played in duos and band settings with Trefor for over 20 years, while Ed Harrison (double bass) and Hugh Lawrence (drums and Latin percussion) are two of the most in-demand accompanists in the region.

Admission to the Eisteddfod field, which can be found by the Royal International Pavilion, Abbey Road, Llangollen, is £6, with concessions at £5 and U-16s £1.